Fil-Am mom in need of bone marrow transplant donor
Maria (left), seen here with her family has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. MANILA MAIL
WASHINGTON, DC — The Philippine Nurses Association of Metro DC (PNAMDC) recently received an urgent plea for stem cell donors for Maria, a 42-year-old Filipino mom who lives in San Diego, California.
A mother of two young boys, six and nine years old, Maria was diagnosed with Leukemia (CMML-2) in September 2018. The only cure would be a bone marrow/stem cell transplant from a suitable matching donor. Maria has a better chance to match someone who is a Filipino like her.
Even though she is in San Diego, California, her donor could be from any city and state. The matching donor will be able to donate the cells in the city he/she lives.
“The process seems very possible to screen far away potential donors,” explains PNAMDC President Joy Arellano. “The patient is a Filipina and would have a higher chance of a match from a fellow Filipino too. Your support to give new life to Maria is very much appreciated.”
First Step
The first step in finding a matching donor is to get tested. The probability is 1/1000. Here are the guidelines to get tested:
Any healthy person between the age of 18 and 60 (FREE test/registration for 18 to 44 age group, people between 45 to 60 will have to cover the cost of the registration. It’s $100 tax deductible)
Steps to Register
* Go online join.bethematch.org/support
* Receive the cheek swab kit
* Swab your cheeks and mail the kit back (After mailing the kit, it take 8 weeks to get the results)
GIVE NEW LIFE TO MARIA.
For more Information:
Gaytri Kapoor, Donor ContactRepresentative, is available to answer any questions through email [email protected],or phone, Tel. 281-780-1379. Toll Free:1-888-482-5663, Fax: 713-791-6365
